Furnace door frame



June 15, 1937. w. P. CHANDLER, JR

FURNACE DOOR FRAME Filed Nov. 14, 1936 Willard 622375 7; J; 7 M MI MPatented June 15, 1%37 .i. i J M UNi-TE 'i FFEQE FURNACE DOOR FRAMEApplication November 14, 1936, Serial No. 119,869

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to water cooling devices for furnaces and,more particularly, to a water cooled furnace door frame.

By my invention I provide a water cooled furnace door frame which is asubstantial improvetwo headers are connected together by a plurality ofpipes extending downwardly from the upper header to the header formingthe arch and which are positioned between the front and rear plates ofthe frame. In a construction of this character the header pipe formingthe arch of the frame is bent to the proper shape and the smallerconnecting pipes are welded to the two headers so as to providecommunication therebetween. After this is accomplished flat plates arewelded to the pipes to form the front and back walls and the space whichis filled with water for cooling purposes.

In the construction shown in the Williams patent, water is introducedinto the top header pipe at one end and flows horizontally across thetop of the frame and then downwardly through the connecting pipes intothe lower header forming the arch of the door frame. The water thenpasses downwardly through the side legs of the lower header to thebottom thereof and then up through the hollow leg portions of the frameto the hollow top portion and finally out through a pipe which passesthrough the top header.

A number of difficulties have been encountered in the manufacture ofthis type of frame and in its operation. In the first place, it isdifficult to make sound and reliable welds connecting the flat plates tothe headers and then to make equally good welds between the plates. Inthe second place, the water enters the inlet opening and passes throughthe header at the top of the door frame and is subjected to considerableheat from the water which has already been circulated through the headerforming the arch. This heats up the water to a substantial extent beforeit is passed to the hottest part of the frame, namely, the headerforming the arch. In the third place, in the structure of the Williamspatent the coolest Water is in the top header and the hottest water inthe space immediately below that header. There being a difference intemperature of this kind, every time the furnace is heated up and cooleddown, stresses due to temperature differences are set up in the frameand in the welds and this type of construction is therefore likely todevelop leaks and cracks. All of these disadvantages are real and it isthe purpose of the present invention to overcome them.

In accordance with my invention I provide a hollow water cooled furnacedoor frame comprising a header forming the arch of the door frame, aplurality of plates forming the hollow top portion of the frameextending above the header, a plurality of said plates extendingdownwardly exteriorly of the header and cooperating with the header toform the hollow leg portions of the frame, and a conduit positionedwithin the hollow top portion of the frame and opening into the headerfor supplying the cooling fluid substantially directly from the inlet tothe header. The header at the lower ends thereof is provided with outletopenings which communicate with the hollow leg portions of the frame andthe frame is provided with inlet and outlet openings therein. In thisarrangement water is fed to the door frame through the inlet and passesthrough the conduit which is completely enclosed in the top portion ofthe frame, and then passes into the header forming the arch of the doorframe at the top thereof. The water then passes downwardly through theleg portions of the header into the leg portions of the frame andupwardly therethrough into the top body portion of the frame and fromthere is discharged through the outlet opening at the top of the frame.In accordance with my invention I prefer to utilize a conduit which isconnected to the inlet opening of the frame and positioned wholly withinthe top body portion of the frame and extends transversely thereof andis provided with a clean-out opening at one end of the frame. Thisconduit is connected by one or more pipes with the header forming thearch of the frame.

A structure of this character has a number of advantages over andobviates the above-described difficulties of the type of furnace doorframe disclosed in the Williams patent. In the first place, the framewhich I provide eliminates the use of a pipe or header as a stiffenermember at the top of the frame and the plates forming the top portion ofthe frame are welded directly together into a shape which is somewhatmore convenient than is the case with the Williams structure where theplates must be welded together and to the header at the top thereof.

In the second place, in the structure which I provide the cold waterentering the frame through the inlet is carried more directly to theheader forming the arch of the door frame. By virtue of the fact that Iam enabled to use conduits for conveying the water from the inlet to theheader forming the arch of the door frame which are considerably smallerthan the header forming the arch of the door frame, the water is carriedat a higher velocity from the inlet opening to the header forming thearch of the door frame end, consequently, the water is colder when itreaches the hottest part of the frame than is the case in a structuresuch as that disclosed in the Williams patent. It will be appreciated,of course, that it is a considerable advantage, to have the water reachthe hottest part of the frame without any appreciable prior heating, asthis results in maintaining the header surrounding the door openingsomewhat cooler. In the third place, the top header is completelyeliminated and stresses due to temperature differences such as are setup in the frame and welds of the construction of the Williams patent areeliminated, thus eliminating any tendency for the development of leaksand cracks. A further advantage of the construction provided by myinvention resides in the fact that the conduit connected to the inletmay be extended to the side of the frame and provided with a flush ingor clean-out opening.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown, for purposes of illustrationonly, a preferred embodiment of my invention. In the drawing,

Figure l is a front elevational view, partly in section, of theconstruction which I provide;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line IIII of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIIIII of Figure 1.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing the header 2 which is formed ofbent pipe is U- shaped and forms the arch of the frame. The legs 3 and 4of the header 2 extend downwardly and the header is provided withopenings 5 and 6 at the lower ends of the legs, which openings areadapted to permit flow of the cooling medium from the header into thehollow legs of the frame. The hollow top portion 1 of the frame isformed by welding together a plurality of plates to form a top wall 8, afront wall 9, a rear wall Hi, and side walls H and I2. The plates weldedtogether to form the main body of the frame are arranged to form.projecting portions 3i and I4 projecting forwardly from the front plate9 so as to provide additional circulation space in the legs of theframe. The front plate 9 and the rear plate. It are shaped to fit theheader 2 and are welded to the header 2 adjacent the center line thereofas shown in Figure 2. The welded plates, or some of them, extenddownwardly exteriorly of the U-shaped header 2 to form hollow legportions $5 and IS in cooperation with the leg portions of the header 2.A plate H is welded over each end of the header 2 and to the lower endsof the plates forming the leg portions l5 and IE to close the bottomends of said leg portions.

An inlet opening is provided in the top plate 8 adjacent one end thereofto permit the supplying of water to the hollow frame. The opening 29 isprovided with an appropriate reducer fall in order to eifect properconnection between the water supply and the conduit leading to theheader 2. A conduit 22 is connected at one end thereof to the reducer 2|and extends downwardly between the front, rear and side plates of theframe and extends horizontally throughout a substantial portion of thelength of the frame. As will be understood, this conduit is positionedwholly within the confines of the hollow top portion of the frame. Pipes23 are connected with the conduit 22 and extend from said conduit to theheader 2 for supplying water or other cooling fluid to the header. Itwill be understood, of course, that one or more such pipes may beemployed in order to supply the water from the conduit 22 to the header.The conduit 22 at its end opposite the end connected to the inletopening in the hollow top portion of the frame is connected with aclean-out opening 24 provided in the end wall of the top portion of theframe opposite the end wall adjacent which the inlet opening ispositioned.

An outlet opening 25 is provided in the top plate 8 to permit the escapeof water or other cooling fluid from the hollow frame after it haspassed through the header 2 and through the hollow top portion.

Plates 26 and 2'! are welded to the top portion of the frame forproviding flanges by means of which the frame may be secured to thefurnace structure with which it is to be used. A substantially U-shapedrod 28 is also provided and welded to the top plate 8 for providingmeans for handling the frame. Wash-out openings 29 provided withappropriate plugs 30 are provided at the bottom end of each of the framelegs in order to permit cleaning the interior of the frame.

A small opening 3! is provided in the top of the header 2 to permit theescape of any gas, air or steam that may form within the header itselfinto the open space between the walls of the hollow top portion of theframe. In ordinary operation there will only be a small amount of gas,air or steam formed within the header and a small hole is all that isrequired to permit the escape of the gas, air or steam into the hollowtop portion. The gases escaping through this hole will rise through thehollow top portion of the frame and pass out through the outlet openingwith the outlet water.

In operation, the water passes into the frame through the inlet opening20, through the conduit 22, and the pipes 23 into the header 2. Thewater passes downwardly through the legs 3 and 4 of the header throughthe openings 5 and 6 and then upwardly through the hollow leg portionsof the frame and into the hollow top portion. From there the waterpasses outwardly through the outlet opening 25. The conduit 22 and thepipes 23 are preferably made considerably smaller than the header 2 sothat the velocity of the water passing through the conduit 22 and thepipes 23 will be greater than the velocity of the water passing throughthe header 2. It will be understood that it is desirable to cause thewater to pass with a relatively high velocity from the inlet opening tothe header in order to prevent any substantial heating up of the waterbefore it reaches the arch of the frame. A construction such as thatwhich I provide by my invention will permit the use of a small conduit22 whereas in constructions of the character above referred to it isnecessary that the top header be of substantially the same size as theheader forming the arch of the frame.

The structure which I provide has all of the advantages referred toabove and obviates many difliculties which have heretofore beenencountered.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my inventionI do not intend to be limited to such embodiment as my invention may beotherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims.

'I claim:

1. A hollow water cooled furnace door frame, comprising a header formingthe arch of the door frame, a plurality of plates forming the hollow topportion of the frame extending above the top of the header, a pluralityof said plates extending downwardly exteriorly of the header andcooperating with the header to form the hollow legs of the frame, saidheader at the lower ends thereof having outlet openings communicatingwith the hollow legs of the frame and said frame having inlet and outletopenings therein, and a conduit positioned within the hollow top portionof the frame and opening into said header for supplying a cooling fluiddirectly from the inlet to said header.

2. A hollow water cooled furnace door frame, comprising a header formingthe arch of the door frame, a plurality of plates forming the hollow topportion of the frame extending above the header, a plurality of saidpipes extending downwardly exteriorly of the header and cooperating withthe header to form the hollow legs of the frame, said header at thelower ends thereof having outlet openings communicating with the hollowlegs of the frame and said frame having an inlet and an outlet openingin the hollow top portion thereof, and a conduit positioned within thehollow top portion of the frame and opening into said header forsupplying a cooling fluid directly from the inlet to said header.

3. A hollow water cooled furnace door frame, comprising a header formingthe arch of the door frame, a plurality of plates forming the hollow topportion of the frame extending above the header, a plurality of saidplates extending downwardly exteriorly of the header and cooperatingwith the header to form the hollow legs of the frame, said header at thelower end thereof having outlet openings communicating with the hollowlegs of the frame and said frame having inlet and outlet openingstherein, and a conduit positioned within the hollow top portion of theframe and opening into said header adjacent the upper part thereof,whereby the cooling fluid entering the frame inlet passes directly tothe header, downwardly through the leg portions thereof, and upwardlybetween the plates forming the frame legs to the top portion of theframe.

4. A hollow water cooled furnace door frame, comprising a header formingthe arch of the door frame, a plurality of plates forming the hollow topportion of the frame extending above the header, a plurality of saidplates extending downwardly exteriorly of the header and cooperatingwith the header to form the hollow legs of the frame,said header at thelower ends thereof having outlet openings communicating with the hollowlegs of the frame and said frame having an inlet and an outlet openingin the hollow top portion thereof, and a conduit positioned within thehollow top portion of the frame connected with said inlet and openinginto said header adjacent the top thereof, whereby the cooling fluidentering the frame inlet passes directly to the header, downwardlythrough the leg portions thereof and upwardly between the plates formingthe frame legs to the top portion of the frame and outwardly through theoutlet opening.

5. A hollow water cooled furnace door frame, comprising a header formingthe arch of the door rame, a plurality of plates forming the hollow topportion of the frame extending above the header, a, plurality of saidplates extendingdownwardly-and cooperating with the leg portions of theheader to form the hollow leg portions of the frame, said header havingan opening at each end thereof communicating with the hollow legportions of the frame, said frame having inlet and outlet openings inthe hollow top portion thereof, conduit connecting with the inletopening extending transversely of the frame within the hollow topportion, and at least one connection from said conduit to the topportion of said header for supplying cooling fluid thereto, the coolingfluid passing downwardly through the leg portions of said header andupwardly through the leg portions of the hollow frame into the hollowtop portion and then outwardly through said outlet opening.

6. A hollow water cooled furnace door frame, comprising a header formingthe arch of the door frame, a plurality of plates forming the hollow topportion of the frame extending above the header, a plurality of saidplates extending downwardly and cooperating with the leg portions of theheader to form the hollow leg portions of v the frame, said headerhaving an opening at each end thereof communicating with a hollow legportion of the frame, said frame having inlet and outlet openings in thehollow top portion thereof, a conduit connecting with the inletopenings, and extending transversely of the frame within the hollow topportion and communicating with a clean-out opening in a wall of theframe, and at least one connection from said conduit to the upperportion of said header for supplying cooling fluid thereto.

'7. A hollow water cooled furnace door frame, comprising a headerforming the arch of the door frame, a plurality of plates forming thehollow top portion of the frame extending above the header, a pluralityof said plates extending downwardly and cooperating with the legportions of the header to form the hollow leg portions of the frame,said header having an opening at each end thereof communicating with ahollow leg portion of the frame and said frame having inlet and outletopenings in the hollow top portion thereof, and a conduit positionedwholly within the hollow top portion of the frame and connected withsaid inlet opening and opening into said header adjacent the upper partthereof, whereby the cooling fluid entering the frame inlet passesdirectly to the header, downwardly through the leg portions thereof andupwardly between the. plates forming the frame legs to the top portionof the frame, and from there outwardly through the said outlet opening,said header having an opening at the top portion thereof to permit theescape of gases from said header into the hollow top portion of theframe.

8. A hollow water cooled furnace door frame, comprising a header formingthe arch of the door frame, a plurality of plates forming the hollow topportion of the frame extending above the header, a plurality of saidplates extending downwardly and cooperating with the leg portions of theheader to form the hollow leg portions of the frame, said header havingan outlet opening at each end thereof communicating with the adjacenthollow leg portion of the frame and said frame having inlet and outletopenings in the hollow top portion thereof adjacent the top of theframe, a conduit connected with the inlet opening and extendingtransversely of the frame within the hollow top portion thereof andcommunicating with a, clean-out opening in a side wall of the frame, andat least one connection fromsaid conduit to the top of the arch formed

